1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to networking systems, and more particularly to systems using fibre channel fabrics for interconnecting fibre channel devices.
2. Background of the Invention
Fibre channel is a set of American National Standard Institute (ANSI) standards which provide a serial transmission protocol for storage and network protocols such as HIPPI, SCSI, IP, ATM and others. Fibre channel provides an input/output interface to meet the requirements of both channel and network users.
Fibre channel supports three different topologies: point-to-point, arbitrated loop and fibre channel fabric. The point-to-point topology attaches two devices directly. The arbitrated loop topology attaches devices in a loop. The fibre channel fabric topology attaches host systems directly to a fabric, which are then connected to multiple devices. The fibre channel fabric topology allows several media types to be interconnected.
Fibre channel is a closed system that relies on multiple ports to exchange information on attributes and characteristics to determine if the ports can operate together. If the ports can work together, they define the criteria under which they communicate.
In fibre channel, a path is established between two nodes where the path's primary task is to transport data from one point to another at high speed with low latency, performing only simple error detection in hardware. The fibre channel switch provides circuit/packet switched topology by establishing multiple simultaneous point-to-point connections.
Fibre channel fabric devices include a node port or “N_Port” that manages fabric connections. The N_port establishes a connection to a fabric element (e.g., a switch) having a fabric port or F_port. Fabric elements include the intelligence to handle routing, error detection, recovery, and similar management functions.
A fibre channel switch is a multi-port device where each port manages a simple point-to-point connection between itself and its attached system. Each port can be attached to a server, peripheral, I/O subsystem, bridge, hub, router, or even another switch. A switch receives a connection request from one port and automatically establishes a connection to another port. Multiple calls or data transfers happen concurrently through the multi-port fibre channel switch.
A fibre channel switch may use multiple modules (also referred to as “blades” or “blade”) connected by fibre channel ports. Conventionally, a multi-module switch should appear to the other devices in the fibre channel fabric as a single switch.
Fibre channel switch addressing is defined by Fibre Channel Standard FC-SW-2. Typically, a 24-bit identifier is used to uniquely identify a switch. The 24 bit address includes a 8-bit Domain Identification (“Domain_ID.”) number; 8-bit Area Identifier (Area_ID) and 8-bit Port Identifer (Port_ID), as stated in FC-SW—2 Section 4.8, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Domain_ID identifies a domain of one or more switches that have the same Domain_ID for all N_Ports and NL_Ports (an N_Port that can perform an Arbitrated Loop function). A domain in the fibre channel environment as defined by ANSI Standard X3.289-199X Fibre Channel-Fabric Generic Requirements (FC-FG), incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, is the highest or most significant hierarchical level in a three-level addressing scheme. If there are more than one switch in a Domain, then each switch within the domain is directly connected via an inter-switch link (“ISL”) to at least another switch in the domain.
Conventional systems pre-define a Domain_ID when a fibre channel switch is configured. Typically, a switch is assigned a Domain_ID the procedures defined in FC-SW-2. However, if a multi-module switch needs to appear as a single switch to the rest of the Fabric, the Domain_ID assignment procedure must be such that a consistent interface is available within the fabric.
Current Fiber Channel standards do not provide a mechanism to combine multiple switch modules into one switch.
Therefore, what is required is a process and system that can dynamically assign Domain_ID after a primary blade in a multi-module switch is selected.